Favorite "regular" classic movies

[anklebiter]

I'm a Clint Eastwood freak, and also John Wayne.I guess if I had to pick, I'd say the entire western genre is my favorite.
What are your favorite classic movies?

A few of mine:
1-The Outlaw Josey wales Clint Eastwood)
2- Rio Grande (John Wayne)
3-Angels With Dirty Faces ( James Cagney)
4 Hang Em High (Clint Eastwood)
5- The entire martin & Lewis collection, but especially The Delicate Delinquent.

They truly don't make them like they used to.I can appreciate CG effects, but it's no replacement for good acting.

[Greenman]

One film above all others that for its time was innovative when it used special effects and a great story, albeit a slightly soppy British/US one but with a terrific cast including David Niven was A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH-which I got on DVD for Christmas. If you ever get a chance to see it do so because it is a brilliantly made film.

[Farowt]

I love movies, so have quite a list of favorites. But keeping with the question of all time favorite(1): The Jules Verne Classic "Mysterious Island". I liked all the movies based on Jules Verne novels, but for some reason, just always liked this one the best.

[damp-patch]

One film above all others that for its time was innovative when it used special effects and a great story, albeit a slightly soppy British/US one but with a terrific cast including David Niven was A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH-which I got on DVD for Christmas. If you ever get a chance to see it do so because it is a brilliantly made film.

AMoLaD is indeed a great film, full of hope, compassion, optimism, wit, you name it. I think of it as a companion piece to the earlier Powell and Pressburger masterpiece The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Made in 1943 and partly set at the other end of the conflict to AMoLaD, it contains, in Anton Walbrook's impassioned speech at the aliens registration office, the most devastating denunciation of Nazism you will ever see. It never fails to bring a lump to my throat. And Deborah Kerr is gorgeous in it, 3 times.

[scoundrel]

AMoLaD was probably their finest film but they made several real masterpieces such as Black Narcissus (camp and overacted though this was) and Battle of the River Plate. BotRP is a really interesting work for the subtlety and humanity of its portrait of the officers and men of the Graf Spee, most unusual for German characters in British films of the period. In particular, Peter Finch was excellent as Captain Langsdorff and I think the film does justice to the actual man, his courage his dignity and ultimately his tragic suicide to redeem the honour of his crew after he had ordered them to save themselves by scuttling their ship. He caused a lot of trouble for the Allied cause early in the war but always fought with honour and respect for the law of the sea. He was no typical Nazi, not like the scumbag who commanded his supply ship, the Altmark. Peter Finch gave dramatic life to this dangerous and strangely admirable man. It was very characteristic of Powell and Pressburger that they could rise above mere steriotypes and take a good look at the enemy as men.

[damp-patch]

The British come across as a bit stiff upper lip, but it is undoubtedly a fair portayal of a man who was probably a very decent, atypical, dedicated naval officer, albeit on the 'wrong' side. But then P & P were never ones to portray decency unfairly.

As for Michael Powell, his rather unwarranted fall from grace with Peeping Tom was a very sad loss to us all. I always had a soft spot for that film as I was a focus-puller for years, though not one that killed starlets whilst taking cheesy after hours snaps of course.

[scoundrel]

I think you are right about the British characters. Both John Gregson (Captain Dove of the SS Africa Shell, sunk by Langsdorff in Portuguese territorial water: NB I commended Langsdorff for respecting the law of the sea, not necessarily for obeying all the rules all of the time. We British were not too proud to bend the rules a little bit either) and Anthony Quayle as Commodore Harwood did a competent acting job but were not given much to work with. Peter Finch had more scope and created a subtle anti-heroic, three dimensional performance well worth watching.

Incidentally, the German surface navy was the least ''reliable'' service from a Nazi point of view. Langsdorff professed loyalty to Hitler in his suicide letter but his conduct as an officer and a man was very odd for a Nazi. Admiral Lutyens, who commanded the Bismarck, made a special point of not using the Hitler salute. I have seen German newsreel footage of him greeting Hitler with a traditional naval salute and a facial expression which looked like he had just eaten three lemons without sugar: Hitler cannot possibly have missed the non-verbal communication. There are other examples as well, notably Captain Rogge of the raider Atlantis, known to the British as Raider C, who always showed great humanity to his prisoners. The Powell and Pressburger film picks up on this little byplay in WW2 history quite well.

Re Peeping Tom, it isn't Powell's best film but it is certainly not a bad one. The problem was that it offended against the spirit of its time. Powell did not slavishly follow the crowd (as with his rather sympathetic portrait of the Germans in BotRP) and on this occasion he was made to suffer. Hitchcock made a much inferior thriller called Frenzy in the seventies and it quietly faded into well deserved obscurity, causing few of the waves raised by Peeping Tom, a much better film.

[damp-patch]

Frenzy is probably the Hitchcock picture I would gladly never see again. Dreadful film.

[damp-patch]

Just to get this back on track, my favourite 'classic' movies in no particular order, and probably different to favourites I would pick this afternoon are:

The 39 Steps (Hitchcock version)
Railway Children (Watched it being made)
Went the Day Well?
The Conversation
Charlie Varrick
Kind Hearts and Coronets

[quacksacker]

The Bride of Frankenstein-1935, The Uninvited-1944, The Time of Their Lives-1946?, The Mouse That Roared19--?, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes-1970, My Favorite Brunette-1948?, The Haunting-1960, Bell Book and Candle-1965, How to Murder your Wife-1965, A Guide for The Married Man-19..?It's a MadX4World-1963, The Night Stalker-1972, Night Strangler-1973, Little Big Man-1970...Too many to list.

BTW, what was the first movie you remember watching in the theater? For me it was Night of Dark shadows-1971. I've had a crush on Kate Jackson ever since.

[ironmonkey]

difficoult do decide as it keeps changing. Right now im back in a noir mood, so some of the films ive watched recently and enjoyed are these:
http://blog.nj.com/whitty/2008/03/medium_night.jpg
http://www.cinebel.be/portal/resources/movie/11037/ba11037.jpg
http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/spycoldswed.jpg

[anklebiter]

BTW, what was the first movie you remember watching in the theater? For me it was Night of Dark shadows-1971. I've had a crush on Kate Jackson ever since.

I have a vague memory of (probably Battle for the) Planet of the Apes.I would have only been 4 years old unless they had a second theater run, but I remember being there with my dad.

The first vivid memory was Star Wars, and boy howdy, did it make an impression!

[snorkie]

A few of mine:
1-The Outlaw Josey wales Clint Eastwood)
2- Rio Grande (John Wayne)
3-Angels With Dirty Faces ( James Cagney)
4 Hang Em High (Clint Eastwood)
5- The entire martin & Lewis collection, but especially The Delicate Delinquent.


I agree with Josey Wales (perfect hero's journey) and Hang Em High, two favorites (Eastwood has always had a unique vision. See "tightrope" as an example).

Some of my other favorite classics include:
The Maltese Falcon (Also, my fave novel)
Murder My Sweet (Dick Powell's best work)
Shane (Alan Ladd's hero's journey)
The Best Years of Our Lives (Can a Best Picture be underrated?)
Ghost Busters (Bob Hope in great form)
The Big Sleep (Bogart not Mitchem)

Speaking of Mitchem, I can always watch Macao, just because Gloria Grahame was so darn sexy!

[scoundrel]

I have said quite a lot earlier about Powell and Pressburger, really excellent filmmakers, but my current list of favourites is:

Casablanca: the definitive Bogart film. Ingrid Bergman also not too shabby. Claude Rains perfect as the thoroughly dodgy yet not quite sold out French police captain.

The Searchers: one of the earliest Hollywood westerns to explore the other side of the coin of the western myth. Great performance by John Wayne: anyone else would have got an Oscar for putting in a turn like that.

Psycho: best thriller ever, surely.

The Wicker Man: Edward Woodward version. Arguably the best ever British film, even if we have to co-opt Brit Ekland for the argument to completely hold water. Hell, if all asylum seekers looked like her, I wouldn't bloody complain.

Pleasantville: I really like the way this one plays with film/TV as a medium. Clever, subtle, heartwarming but not sickly-sweet.

One more: The Cat and the Canary (Bob Hope version). Perfect role for Hope in which his charming but cowardly character is forced to be brave and to outwit the invisible enemy to save his friends as well as himself. It works really well as a thriller and is also, at times, absolutely hilarious for all the right reasons.

Thats enough from me.

[snorkie]

The Searchers: one of the earliest Hollywood westerns to explore the other side of the coin of the western myth. Great performance by John Wayne: anyone else would have got an Oscar for putting in a turn like that.


Wonderful, complex film, many think this is John Ford's best Western; but, if you allow me to group them together, I prefer the calvary trilogy (Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - Wayne's Captain Nathan Brittles was also Oscar worthy IMO - and, Rio Grande).

Some trivia about The Searchers. Right at the end, Wayne holds right his arm just above the elbow. This gesture was intended for Olive Carey, who played Mrs. Jorgensen, as a silent tribute to her husband Harry Carey, who had recently passed away. Carey's trademark mannerism was holding his arm the way Wayne imitated. Olive recognized the gesture right away and was very grateful. You can see Harry Carey as the sheriff in Wayne's Angel and the Badman.

[snorkie]

BTW, what was the first movie you remember watching in the theater? For me it was Night of Dark shadows-1971. I've had a crush on Kate Jackson ever since.

I've been racking my brain over this one, and I think I have the answer:

Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People (with Sean Connery). At the tender age of 9, the Banshee scared the (bleep) out of me. Some family film that one. :)

[haunted]

I'm a Clint Eastwood freak, and also John Wayne.I guess if I had to pick, I'd say the entire western genre is my favorite.
What are your favorite classic movies?

A few of mine:
1-The Outlaw Josey wales Clint Eastwood)
2- Rio Grande (John Wayne)
3-Angels With Dirty Faces ( James Cagney)
4 Hang Em High (Clint Eastwood)
5- The entire martin & Lewis collection, but especially The Delicate Delinquent.



Delighted recently to get a 3 DVD set of Josey Wales, Pale Rider and Unforgiven for 10 euro:D

[haunted]

As others have said my top 10 films changes regularly but I'll list 10 of my top ones in no particular order:

The Shining
Paths of Glory
Taking of Pelham 123
The Third Man
Apocylpse Now
Close Encounters of the 3rd kind
2001:A Space Odyssey
Citizen Kane
Amelie:o
Pulp fiction

[haunted]

The

BTW, what was the first movie you remember watching in the theater? For me it was Night of Dark shadows-1971. I've had a crush on Kate Jackson ever since.

I think it was Bambi (a re-release it was the 70's), when I was on holidays.
That Thumper was some character;)

[anklebiter]

Dances with wolves-awesome movie!

[MaxJoker]

Gee`s now i`m wondering exactly what classifies a regular classic , as if i didn`t have enough problems keeping track already.Completely off the top of my head and under 1970 here`s a quick five fav's i`d have to go with , although like everyone else i`ve probably got a few hundred all told :D

* The Man Who Laughs (1928 film) directed by Paul Leni , a silent masterpiece and why i`ve now gone back to my avatar choice of old.

* A Night at the Opera (1935 chaotic ) by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley , the Marx brothers best work.

* The Searchers (1956 epic) that ultimate western by John Ford , criminally overlooked by the powers that be , still fuck em , hey the Duke said that not me.

* Some Like It Hot (1959 snug ) by Billy Wilder pacer than a marathon runner on fire , and with six scenes in particular that i will never tire of .

* Dr. Strangelove (1964 tasty ) by Kubrick, brilliant satire and one of the best endings you could ever hope for , unless you enjoy living that is .

[Inglorious]

I am Sam - No not the one about the killer, the one with the Sean Penn
Warriors - Classic gang movie


Roots - Not exactly a film, but has to be mentioned. Should be played in every school.

[anklebiter]

Gee`s now i`m wondering exactly what classifies a regular classic , as if i didn`t have enough problems keeping track already.


Thats a good point, but I bet it's a very subjective question.I wouldn't be surprised to see a few young members pick 80's movies because they're "classics" to them :p
I was born in '69 and i consider many 70's films to be classics.Hell, there are even some very new movies that are obvious classics.Private Ryan comes to mind.

That said, most of my DVD collection consists of black & white films.
And while I'm here, I've been forgetting to mention (as my sig suggests) I loved the Godfather.

[spectacles]

Twelve O'Clock High - War film with Gregory Peck.
Not tarnished by its use as
an eighties business management tool on how to get
the best out of people. Brilliantly made in the fifties
shot in black & white for effect.
The Vampire Lovers - Hammer Horror of the 70's
Ingrid Pitt and Madeline Smith OMG:eek:
Once Upon a Time in the West- Magic magic western Awesome cast
The opening sequence where Henry Fonda, everyones
favourite good guy shoots the kid sets the tone.
Das Boot - Original and best of the ones that eventually got cut
into english and for TV.
The Omega Man - Best of the 70s American dissolusionment films.
I'm not a Heston admirer but he was superb in
this.
La Ronde- Purely because I saw Catherine denueve in this. I must
have been about twelve and knew right then I would
never be gay;)

[dorcelfan]

Some great films mentioned here...The Italian Job being one of the greatest ever!!.

Here's a couple more that I really like:

The Hill (1965)
The Battle Of The Somme (1916)
Ben Hur (1959)
2001 - A Space Odyssey (1968)

Regards

D

[damp-patch]

Today being tuesday my favs are now:

Oni-Baba (Truely terrifying Japanese b&w shocker)
Badlands (The banality/ordinariness of evil)
Day for Night (Truffaut's take on film-making)
Point-blank (Just a dream?)
The Lady Vanishes (Effortlessly entertaining)

[haldane4]

Some films I keep going back to - I guess I just love them:

City Lights - Chaplin, just beautiful.
Sons Of The Desert - Laurel & Hardy, the boys are on such great form, I could cry.
The Maltese Falcon, perfect in every way. Bogart and Astor smoke together.
Odd Man Out - James Mason as doomed gunman Johnny McQueen in Carol Reed's classic.
Rope - stagey but compelling.
Jules at Jim - Jeanne Moreau.
Fahrenheit 451 - even better than the novel, IMO.
Chimes At Midnight - Orson Welles as Falstaff, gotta be good.
The Seagull - for me, the only time Chekhov has worked on the big screen. David Warner & Vanessa Redgrave are brilliant.
Butley - Alan Bates' riveting & hilarious character study of disintegrating lecturer Ben Butley
Solaris - Tarkovsky's original and the best SF film ever made, IMO.
The Man Who Would Be King - rip-roaring stuff from Caine & Connery.
The Medusa Touch - revenge fantasy at its finest.
Heaven's Gate - Cimino's folly, beautiful but utterly cruel.
Miracle Mile - nuclear strike drama, from the last days of the cold war, very touching.

[haunted]

Today being tuesday my favs are now:

Oni-Baba (Truely terrifying Japanese b&w shocker)
Badlands (The banality/ordinariness of evil)
Day for Night (Truffaut's take on film-making)
Point-blank (Just a dream?)
The Lady Vanishes (Effortlessly entertaining)

I presume you mean Hitchcock's original. Brilliant movie!

[damp-patch]

I presume you mean Hitchcock's original. Brilliant movie!

There is no other. Well there is of course but that one can't hold a canal to Hitch's original.

[benedictus]

Lawrence of Arabia

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)

[Drella]

I really like vintage Polanski, especially The Tenant and Repulsion
Straw Dogs
Eyes Without a Face
M
Nosferatu
Pandora's Box
The Great Dictator
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Blow-Up
I don't know if this counts, but I love the Rocky movies (except part 5, which is unredeemable).
I hope these are considered "classic"...

[foxx]

The Good, the bad & the Ugly & Rio Bravo (the old, the drunk & the infant)

[scoundrel]

The one with the musical pocket watch.

The final gun fight is Lee Van Cleef's finest hour as an actor. That reptilian face and those cruel eyes express little but convey so much: his opponent (Gian Maria Volante) raped his character's sister and caused her to kill herself, then took her pocket watch as a souvenir.

Douglas Mortimer (Van Cleef) has devoted a decade of his life to tracking down the new 'owner' of his sister's watch. When the music stops, Colonel Mortimer will kill Indio in fair fight and both men know it. The music plays, Indio sweats in well deserved terror and Mortimer surveys him like a gourmet contemplating a really well prepared meal. Revenge was never better dramatised than in this fabulous scene.

[foxx]

@scoundrel

Sometimes I think "For A Few Dollars More" is the best, "GoodBadUgly" is the unique and "Once upon a time in the west" is the ambitious.

When it comes to a "Fistful of Dollars" I admire how Leone managed to adopt Kurosawas style, one must be able to do so. But with "For A Few Dollars More" Leone entered a higher and more personal Level.

[rockerreds]

Chinatown
Interiors
Chilly Scenes Of Winter (aka Head Over Heels)
This Is Spinal Tap
Jonah Who Will Be 25 In The Year 2000
Brazil

[lynott4986]

This Is Spinal Tap


Sexy? ist, ist!:D

[tmee2000]

Westerns- deserve a thread in their own right. I'm a big fan of The Outlaw Josey Wales, and The Horse Soldiers, mentioned elsewhere.
For me this is the stand-out. It didn't do very well at the box office, it's incredibly violent and I love it:
http://img132.imagevenue.com/loc1012/th_21151_The_Searchers_123_1012lo.jpg (http://img132.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=21151_The_Searchers_123_1012lo.jpg)

[scoundrel]

http://img144.imagevenue.com/loc973/th_73365_The_Day_The_Earth_Stood_Still_122_973lo.j pg

Nothing but rubbish on the box and I was feeling misanthropic, so I put this one on the DVD player to celebrate my optimistic love of humanity. Haven't watched it for a very long time and,cheap and shoddy though some of the production values are, I was totally entertained and loved every bit of it: its a long time since I've watched a ''new'' film that did this for me.

The basic premise of an alien with a message of hope and peace inspiring vicious hatred, paranoia, treachery and malice is very believable. So is the way that Klaatu (Michael Rennie) has to turn his back on the so-called leaders of men and reach on to very ordinary anonymous people, (Patricia Neal, excellent as war widow Helen Benson and child actor Billy Gray puts in a good turn as her friendly but inquisitive and slightly hyperactive chatterbox of a son) in order to get a sane and fair hearing.

The whole story is essentially a liberal parable for the 20th Century, implicitly condemning nightmarish McCarthyite scare mongering and urging American viewers (also viewers everywhere) to stand by their courage, their dignity and their honour, to dare to talk to each other and listen. There are some excellent acting moments, not least when Rennie and Neal are stuck in the lift and Rennie discloses his true mission to her. Hugh Marlowe as Tom Stevens, Neal's suitor, also gives a nice performance as a superficially charming and pleasant man who ultimately plays the Judas to Michael Rennnie's Christ: this time the 30 pieces of silver will be fame and celebrity, a very 20th Century twist.

A bit of trivia: Patricia Neal was romantically linked to Gary Cooper in 1951, when the film was made but he welched on his promise to divorce his estranged wife and went back to her. Later, Ms Neal married Roald Dahl, the novellist and is the grandmother of the very beautiful Sophie Dahl. The Day The Earth Stood Still was her biggest starring role in films (she later appeared in Breakfast At Tiffanys) but she became a stalwart regular actress in American TV from the 60s onwards and is still working at the age of 83.

Well done Patricia. That's not a bad track record.

[Mal Hombre]

El Cid,Chuck Heston in fine form,Sophia Loren luminously beautiful,great scenery and Herbert Lom as the evil Ben Yussuf.It might not be accurate but the ending with the Cid's lifeless body strapped on his horse leading his men to victory( and mowing down Herbert Lom) is a classic

[johnsmith69]

This is a good film - I remember watching it in an R.E. lesson at school!?!?!?!

No idea why?...Thou shalt not become an Assasin?

Thinking about it, we watched some pretty cool films in that lesson...Operation Daybreak(sp?), The Odessa File, lots of classic Michael Caine Films...

And he was getting paid to 'teach' us (without meaning to express pedo connotations) - lol

What a greeeeeat job!

[Mal Hombre]

The original Twelve Angry Men,whenever it's on I have to watch it.

[penfold007]

http://img144.imagevenue.com/loc973/th_73365_The_Day_The_Earth_Stood_Still_122_973lo.j pg


Fabulous film, it stands head and shoulders above most other science fiction produced in that era (Forbidden planet and the original Invasion of the body snatchers perhaps excepted).

I would also mention Brief encounter and Yojimbo.

If we can go a bit newer then Chinatown. Best original screenplay, ever.

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

Rope - stagey but compelling.


Interesting choice. I don't think it is one of Hitchcock's best, but it is still worth watching. John Dall was fantastic as the main villain, but Jimmy Stewart was miscast a bit. And I don't think his character really worked. Of course it is most famous as being filmed so as to look like one long take.

To name a few myself:

The Maltese Falcon;
North by Northwest;
The Hustler.

[haldane4]

I have to admit to a growing enthusiasm for silent films; after watching Kevin Brownlow's epic series Hollywood, it really struck home how cinema had developed pantomime as high art which could be communicated to any audience in any country regardless of language. And some of this language was so evolved by 1929 that it was almost telepathic.

This evening I watched Gloria Swanson in Allan Dwan's 1924 comedy Manhandled - it was a hoot from start to finish, especially the (then) famous subway scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoDCfmQZJC8

[Soft Pillow]

A great masterpiece featuring Clark Gable & Burt Lancaster.


http://img200.imagevenue.com/loc403/th_68139_RunSilentRunDeepDVD_123_403lo.jpg (http://img200.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=68139_RunSilentRunDeepDVD_123_403lo. jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_atHvLjKzmk

[snorkie]

http://img200.imagevenue.com/loc403/th_68139_RunSilentRunDeepDVD_123_403lo.jpg (http://img200.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=68139_RunSilentRunDeepDVD_123_403lo. jpg)


The plot of "Run Silent, Run Deep" is a little silly, but the movie is a lot of fun.

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

The plot of "Run Silent, Run Deep" is a little silly, but the movie is a lot of fun.

Don Rickles tells some funny or mildly amusing stories about Gable and Lancaster from that film. I think one was him and another guy on the film sneaking into Gable's trailer and pretending to make out just as Gable opened the door.

Imagine Don Rickles doing a mediocre (at best) Clark Gable impersonation: "Oh my God, they're fags! What the...they're fags, I tell ya!" :D

[Soft Pillow]

I never perceived this excellent film as silly although I was aware that the late Robert Wise merely injected humour in several passages due to the serious nature of its content. I have always admired & respected the late Clark Gable as did Robert Stack since Clark not only was a true superstar as opposed to all the kids today but also served his country most admirably while acquiring very fine status which he accepted in a most humble manner as I never understood why John Wayne who was equal in physical terms never served at all while cloaking his public persona in the American flag. Could a VEF member who has studied his life please explain this to me as it would be appreciated since it remains an enigma. I do hope that I have not offended anyone in particular a specified moderator as my quest has been to seek the truth rather than create any modern tension.

http://img249.imagevenue.com/loc69/th_94618_gable502_122_69lo.jpg (http://img249.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=94618_gable502_122_69lo.jpg)

[brianwp]

I think you broke a record with that second sentence, there, Soft Pillow. I do believe that's the longest sentence I've ever seen....

[Soft Pillow]

I think you broke a record with that second sentence, there, Soft Pillow. I do believe that's the longest sentence I've ever seen....

Thanks Brian for your recent observation. The culprit is caffeine as I either drink too much of it or perhaps not enough at crucial moments... :)

[kananga]

.... The culprit is caffeine as I either drink too much of it or perhaps not enough at crucial moments... :)

You drink it? I eat it straight from the jar. Why dilute it? ;)

Citizen Caine... although I've only seen it once.
A friend of my wrote a paper on it at Uni as part of his degree.
It was many years later that I saw it on free to air and although I missed the opening, I knew immediately what I was watching..
Think I might mosy over to yootoob for the opening sequence, then change my mind. :confused:

[Soft Pillow]

Citizen Kane remains as one of the greatest films ever made in American cinema although Orson should payed a sweet price since Hearst was extremely furious about it for several reasons. This gem is priceless!

http://img109.imagevenue.com/loc96/th_02704_aff_123_96lo.jpg (http://img109.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=02704_aff_123_96lo.jpg)

[kananga]

There isn't a lot of Citizen Kane on youtube, due to copyright reasons..
Surprising how many cartoons had a take on it..
This short one is quite funny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH1PJTY9AVA&feature=related :D

and the original promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv19bg0scg&NR=1&feature=fvwp)was kinda funny around 2:36 :)

[Soft Pillow]

I just checked YT as I noticed several scenes are available. Maybe France's Dailymotion would have what you are in search of but I doubt it but not to worry as they have a lot of Brigitte Bardot! :D

[Soft Pillow]

I had totally forgotten about this one until I had the opportunity to watch it again at a friend's home. Marlon Brando was/is still the greatest actor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzQ5b6N-2KU

http://img131.imagevenue.com/loc84/th_53802_uglyam_123_84lo.jpg (http://img131.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=53802_uglyam_123_84lo.jpg)

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

I'd argue that Cary Grant was the greatest film actor, but I'll certainly give Brando his due.

[brianwp]

The Deer Hunter

http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/6113/04c3be61125794.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/04c3be61125794)

My man, Bobby D, as well as Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep, in a classic.

[spitalhouse]

In no particular order, a selection of films that have continued over the years to keep me amused, engrossed and entertained:

Great Expectations (UK, 1946) Dir. David Lean

Klute (US, 1971) Dir. Alan J. Pakula

Once Upon A Time In The West (It, 1968) Dir. Sergio Leone

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (UK, 1943) Dir. Michael Powell

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead (US, 1995) Dir. Gary Fleder

House Of Games (US, 1987) Dir. David Mamet


Regards.

[spitalhouse]

I never perceived this excellent film as silly although I was aware that the late Robert Wise merely injected humour in several passages due to the serious nature of its content. I have always admired & respected the late Clark Gable as did Robert Stack since Clark not only was a true superstar as opposed to all the kids today but also served his country most admirably while acquiring very fine status which he accepted in a most humble manner as I never understood why John Wayne who was equal in physical terms never served at all while cloaking his public persona in the American flag. Could a VEF member who has studied his life please explain this to me as it would be appreciated since it remains an enigma. I do hope that I have not offended anyone in particular a specified moderator as my quest has been to seek the truth rather than create any modern tension.

http://img249.imagevenue.com/loc69/th_94618_gable502_122_69lo.jpg (http://img249.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=94618_gable502_122_69lo.jpg)

James Stewart (who also served with distinction in WWII - as a pilot I think) was a close friend of Wayne's and even he never received a satisfactory explanation from 'the Duke' regarding his refusal to enlist. Neither did Wayne's mentor, the director John Ford, who gave Wayne quite a hard time over the issue for the remainder of Ford's life.

[Soft Pillow]

How I loved these guys! I equally enjoyed the television series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SikiFIDeLJs

http://img23.**********.us/img23/2519/b0000507p801sclzzzzzzz.th.jpg (http://img23.**********.us/i/b0000507p801sclzzzzzzz.jpg/)

[Soft Pillow]

I don't know if I would label this film a "regular" but it's one of the few movies in my collection that I felt did justice to the novel not to mention the brilliant performance of Edward Fox!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNHtuU41e6M

http://img270.imagevenue.com/loc187/th_04362_14azixc_123_187lo.jpg (http://img270.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=04362_14azixc_123_187lo.jpg)

[Soft Pillow]

Thanks spitalhouse for the information posted about John Wayne. I was hoping anklebiter along with fans on VEF would have provided logical feedback but nothing to date. I only cited it in passing because it seemed odd as there is so very little on the internet about it apart from obscure passages or prejudiced views.

He was indeed a family man along with being a hard worker as well as appearing in several great movies. He seemed also to be very loyal to his friends yet the enigma remains regarding this single issue since he was also an extremist who damaged those that did not favour communism at all while attacking their patriotism.

A family member stated that his patriotism stemmed from the guilt he felt for not serving his country. His body remained in a private grave for nearly 20 years. He is an American icon yet his views on a few issues generated much debate due to their controversial aspects much like Bill O'Reilly who also never served at all.

[Soft Pillow]

I'd argue that Cary Grant was the greatest film actor, but I'll certainly give Brando his due.

Cary was a supreme stylist! He seemed so perfect for light comedy but I never really viewed him as a great actor. :cool:

[Clouddancer]

I don't know if I could call it my favourite film but this one up there


http://img264.imagevenue.com/loc526/th_41919_215px-Smith_goes_122_526lo.jpg (http://img264.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=41919_215px-Smith_goes_122_526lo.jpg)

Alongside this, - another film I rather liked


http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc1106/th_42007_The-african-queen-1-_122_1106lo.jpg (http://img45.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=42007_The-african-queen-1-_122_1106lo.jpg)

[snorkie]

http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc1106/th_42007_The-african-queen-1-_122_1106lo.jpg (http://img45.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=42007_The-african-queen-1-_122_1106lo.jpg)

Marvelous film, African Queen. John Huston makes exceptional use of the way Bogart used his facial expressions- particularly the eyes - to let the viewer understand what his character was thinking. Bogart could certainly be included in this thread's running discussion of great actors, along with Brando and the underrated Cary Grant.

BTW, notice how the movie poster hints that African Queen might be an action film rather than a character study/romance? :D

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

Cary was a supreme stylist! He seemed so perfect for light comedy but I never really viewed him as a great actor. :cool:

I refer you to David Thomson's The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. In his entry on Grant, Thomson puts it much better then I could. He calls Grant the 'best and most important actor in the history of cinema.' He continues, 'the essence of his quality can be put quite simply: he can be attractive and unattractive simultaneously.' Thomson then elaborates on this in the rest of the entry.

I agree with him. Grant was much more then just a light comedian, he was a great actor. Whether he was the greatest or not, is a matter of opinion. I'll add that there are different ways to be great. Brando was great, but so was Alec Guinness. If you watch the two of them, it is often like night and day in how they act on screen.

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

I should put this in my own words a bit and not just rely on Thomson, whose thoughts on Grant I'm not sure I completely agree with. To, again, put it simply: Grant was a great comedic actor, of that I have no doubt. Watch Bringing up Baby and His Girl Friday and you'll see what I mean. Two different sorts of characters, but Grant is exceptional in both. And in so many other comedies or quasi comedies like The Philadelphia Story, which he is also great in. I had my doubts about him as a dramatic actor, but came to think he was at least very good. So, to be great at comedy and very good at drama is a pretty good combination and certainly makes him worthy of consideration as the best ever. Also, the old saw about comedy being harder then drama is worth repeating here.

I think a lot of people got used to thinking of Grant always playing the same sorts of roles, or of just being 'Cary Grant.' There is something to that and he coasted a bit towards the end. But his overall body of work was varried and, again, loaded with quality (greatness and very goodness. :D)

I should add that the Thomson book is worth getting or checking out. And since I metioned Bringing up Baby, I'll say that I'm not sure if there is a line that made me laugh more then Grant's "I went gay all of a sudden!" from that movie. Though that is probably in part because of how we use the word 'gay' now.

Okay, I'll drop it now. ;)

[palo5]

A French movie, dubbed into German. Starring Yves Montand

This movie stays in my mind, really one of the best I've seen

[Jasper Lamar Crabb]

How I loved these guys! I equally enjoyed the television series.

http://img23.**********.us/img23/2519/b0000507p801sclzzzzzzz.th.jpg (http://img23.**********.us/i/b0000507p801sclzzzzzzz.jpg/)


I'm sort of watching it on TCM now, though I've seen it before. I've always been a little luke warm on Neil Simon. It seems like his plays/screenplays are nothing more then a long series of one-liners. But, okay, many of them are good one-liners. ;)

Matthau and Lemmon are perfect. I recall hearing that Matthau really wanted to play Felix, but Simon, naturally, felt otherwise.

[Soft Pillow]

I thought the Hurd Hatfield version was great as there are several in existence. A brilliant film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC9K_CNojA0

http://img230.imagevenue.com/loc164/th_76518_dorian_123_164lo.jpg (http://img230.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=76518_dorian_123_164lo.jpg)

[brianwp]

Watched "Spartacus" tonight. Still a great one.

http://thumbnails28.imagebam.com/6148/d4bc3661477908.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/d4bc3661477908)

[Soft Pillow]

I remember the very first time when I had the opportunity to watch this movie at the theatre as there were several fascinating scenes along with a dynamic soundtrack. It's dated by contemporary standards but still remains a film worthy of praise.

http://img243.imagevenue.com/loc375/th_06752_SH13G13_123_375lo.jpg (http://img243.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=06752_SH13G13_123_375lo.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w

[nevermind]

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/6601_rebel_without_a_cause_jigsaw_p.jpg



.

[Soft Pillow]

Here's an interesting item for you as I read a long time ago that HB didn't like James Dean once he met him. Why? He felt that he was too self-conscious of the impact he was making while Bogie was supremely self-confident. Just a thought...

[Clouddancer]

You could almost taste the tension in this brilliant film

In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 film based on the John Ball novel published in 1965, which tells the story of an African-American police detective from Philadelphia who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a racist small town in Mississippi. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor.


http://img268.imagevenue.com/loc21/th_22179_67a_122_21lo.jpg (http://img268.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=22179_67a_122_21lo.jpg)

[spitalhouse]

Thanks spitalhouse for the information posted about John Wayne. I was hoping anklebiter along with fans on VEF would have provided logical feedback but nothing to date. I only cited it in passing because it seemed odd as there is so very little on the internet about it apart from obscure passages or prejudiced views.

He was indeed a family man along with being a hard worker as well as appearing in several great movies. He seemed also to be very loyal to his friends yet the enigma remains regarding this single issue since he was also an extremist who damaged those that did not favour communism at all while attacking their patriotism.

A family member stated that his patriotism stemmed from the guilt he felt for not serving his country. His body remained in a private grave for nearly 20 years. He is an American icon yet his views on a few issues generated much debate due to their controversial aspects much like Bill O'Reilly who also never served at all.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." It appears to be the case that despite Wayne's refusal to serve in WWII, the American public never lost their faith in the legend. However - as I mentioned in my earlier post - his friend and mentor director John Ford never allowed Wayne to live it down. According to IMDb .....

..... "Ford was disgusted by John Wayne's refusal to enlist in 1941. When Ford filmed They Were Expendable (1945) after World War II he included every actor's former military rank and branch (Ford himself was a Navy officer and combat photographer). Of course, there were no credentials behind Wayne's name, which the actor took as a real slap".

Regards.

[snorkie]

Matthau and Lemmon are perfect. I recall hearing that Matthau really wanted to play Felix, but Simon, naturally, felt otherwise.

This is interesting, as I can immediately imagine how Matthau might have done it. I could see Lemmon doing Oscar, as well - just think Dirty Old Men.

[Bulldogs78]

The Deer Hunter

http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/6113/04c3be61125794.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/04c3be61125794)

My man, Bobby D, as well as Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep, in a classic.


Excellent choice! I haven't seen the movie since it came out, but, I'll be renting it soon.

[snorkie]

James Stewart (who also served with distinction in WWII - as a pilot I think) was a close friend of Wayne's and even he never received a satisfactory explanation from 'the Duke' regarding his refusal to enlist. Neither did Wayne's mentor, the director John Ford, who gave Wayne quite a hard time over the issue for the remainder of Ford's life.

According to a bio on a DVD, and a couple of web sites, before he enrolled at USC, Wayne applied to Annapolis but did not gain admission. It might well be that this old wound was a deep one, but who can say?

[berigan]

.......
One more: The Cat and the Canary (Bob Hope version). Perfect role for Hope in which his charming but cowardly character is forced to be brave and to outwit the invisible enemy to save his friends as well as himself. It works really well as a thriller and is also, at times, absolutely hilarious for all the right reasons.

.......
Have you ever seen Ghostbreakers with Hope and Paulette Goddard??? Another basic coward role for him, and very funny. Shame it seems almost forgotten today.

[scoundrel]

Have you ever seen Ghostbreakers with Hope and Paulette Goddard??? Another basic coward role for him, and very funny. Shame it seems almost forgotten today.
http://img177.imagevenue.com/loc213/th_42904_The_Ghost_Breakers_2_122_213lo.jpg
For The Ghost Breakers see posts 16 to 19 on this thread:

http://www.vintage-erotica-forum.com/showthread.php?p=625184&highlight=Ghost+Breakers#post625184

I last saw The Ghost Breakers on UK televison in 1986. Even then, the diologue between Bob Hope and Willie Best during the power failure caused a few winces. You could cut a few seconds from that scene but you couldn't remove Willie Best altogether, he's central to the story, and the politically correct brigade wouldn't wear it if The Ghost Breakers were to be shown now. It's a great pity, because Willie Best's character is not really the servile black stereotype he appears to be: he is a chorus of comment on the habitual poor judgements of Hope's character, he is afraid yet not a coward, and he is frequently right where Hope is wrong: but depend on it that the complaint letters would flood in were The Ghost Breakers ever to be re-screened. What a shame. It's a delightful romantic comedy with a few ghosts and a bit of action thrown in. Paulette Goddard is delightful, both beautiful and irresistably charming. Bob Hope is in excellent form, at once cowardly (the hotel shooting scene is nicely farcical and absurd) yet brave and dangerous when there's enough at stake. His conversation with Senor Parada (Paul Lukas) on board the ship, where he laughingly indicates that he intends to be first on the scene at Paulette Goddard's ghost-cursed mansion and will shoot any ghosts he sees, then stops laughing and in an unsmiling, firm tone says: ''Tell your friends.'' injects a pleasing hard edge of drama into the comedy of the piece. Laurence Lawrence (Hope) is funny, but he isn't a negligible quantity: anyone messing with Mary Carter (Goddard) is also messing with Laurence Lawrence.

If you ever want to watch this film, your best bet is to buy or borrow the DVD. It's a shame.:(

[berigan]

see posts 16 to 19 on this thread:

....
I last saw The Ghost Breakers on UK televison in 1986. Even then, the diologue between Bob Hope and Willie Best during the power failure caused a few winces. You could cut a few seconds from that scene but you couldn't remove Willie Best altogether, he's central to the story, and the politically correct brigade wouldn't wear it if The Ghost Breakers were to be shown now. It's a great pity, because Willie Best's character is not really the servile black stereotype he appears to be: he is a chorus of comment on the habitual poor judgements of Hope's character, he is afraid yet not a coward, and he is frequently right where Hope is wrong: but depend on it that the complaint letters would flood in were The Ghost Breakers ever to be re-screened. What a shame. It's a delightful romantic comedy with a few ghosts and a bit of action thrown in. Paulette Goddard is delightful, both beautiful and irresistably charming. Bob Hope is in excellent form, at once cowardly (the hotel shooting scene is nicely farcical and absurd) yet brave and dangerous when there's enough at stake. His conversation with Senor Parada (Paul Lukas) on board the ship, where he laughingly indicates that he intends to be first on the scene at Paulette Goddard's ghost-cursed mansion and will shoot any ghosts he sees, then stops laughing and in an unsmiling, firm tone says: ''Tell your friends.'' injects a pleasing hard edge of drama into the comedy of the piece. Laurence Lawrence (Hope) is funny, but he isn't a negligible quantity: anyone messing with Mary Carter (Goddard) is also messing with Laurence Lawrence.

If you ever want to watch this film, your best bet is to buy or borrow the DVD. It's a shame.:(

Ha, scoundrel, now that's funny...you mentioned it, and I missed it. Well, I just saw this thread for the first time, so went thru it rather quickly.
You are dead on about Willie Best. I wince too, but like you said, he really isn't dumb... and if he runs, Bob is right next to, if not ahead of him.
Ghostbreakers was one of my Mom's favorite movies, so I am much more familiar with it, than the Cat and the Canary. Saw it only once, but it was years and years ago. need to give it another chance. Well damn, just looked it up, was once on DVD, but now out of print!

[IngramJohn]

Always loved "Papillon" with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.

[snorkie]

Have you ever seen Ghostbreakers with Hope and Paulette Goddard??? Another basic coward role for him, and very funny. Shame it seems almost forgotten today.

Ghost Breakers was so good that Martin and Lewis reportedly did not want to do the re-make Scared Stiff; however, a little studio arm twisting convinced them to go ahead with the project. In Scared Stiff Jerry Lewis assumed the Willie Best role. Paulette Goddard in only her slip is one of the best tease scenes in classic cinema (well, it works for me).

About Willie Best, who was at one time billed as "Eat and Sleep"* , Ghost Breakers was one of the roles allowing him some intelligence. It is Alex (Best), who through deductive reasoning, observes that Larry Lawrence (Hope) couldn't have shot the man in the hotel. Considering the era, it was a pretty decent role; a lot more like Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and less like Stepin Fechit. Bob Hope called him, "the best actor I know."


*Now you know where Spike Lee got the character name for his misguided, IMO, satire Bamboozled.

[berigan]

Still available on DVD from Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+ghost+breakers&tag=googhydr-21&index=dvd&hvadid=4707519579&ref=pd_sl_2t9u0azvpf_e).

Thanks for the info! Sorry, I was a bit unclear, I was saying it looks like the Cat and the Canary isn't available on DVD anymore.

snorkie, didn't know Scared Stiff was basically a remake! Heard of it, but have never seen it before.

[scoundrel]

Still available on DVD from Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+ghost+breakers&tag=googhydr-21&index=dvd&hvadid=4707519579&ref=pd_sl_2t9u0azvpf_e).Make sure you have a multi-region or a Region Two DVD player if you order from a UK source such as amazon.co.uk. Standard American DVDs are Region One format and if you are in North America and have a local format DVD player, you'll be needing a Region One DVD, which amazon.co.uk probably won't be able to supply, though the US Amazon site might be able to supply it.

[arespilgrim]

In The Heat Of The Night, The Italian Job and Zulu are probably the oldest films in my DVD collection.

In The Heat Of The Night is a particular favourite.

[scoundrel]

http://img223.imagevenue.com/loc1035/th_70529_Genevieve_DVD_Cover_122_1035lo.jpg http://img34.imagevenue.com/loc251/th_70529_Genevieve_herself_122_251lo.jpg (http://img34.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=70529_Genevieve_herself_122_251lo.jp g)

Not really the best film ever, not even the best British film by a long chalk, but one of the most ''British'' of all films I have seen, and none the worse for that. Its a charming and still amusing comedy, and a time capsule showing the way we were.

Our bizarre national schitzophrenia about sex, simultaneously prudish and salacious, is very gently mocked (the limits were narrow in 1953), with much play being made of John Gregson taking Genevieve (his car, not his ''other woman'') to Brighton. For non-British members, Brighton used to be famous in the UK as the place where people who really weren't supposed to be together used to be able to go and...be together.

The humour is whimsical and gentle. Kenneth More is rather good as the cad of an advertising executive who gets his comeuppance when the airhead fashion model whom he has lured to Brighton for immoral purposes (Kay Kendal) turns out to be a lot brighter than he is. Even worse, this casual fling turns out to be the real thing! No!! Ambrose has been trying to lure foolish young girls to Brighton for years and every time his plans have misfired. But on the one occasion when the young woman seems keen to play, the game is no longer lighted hearted mischief, but Happy Ever After. How could fate be so cruel?

In a theme very common in British comedy, the men think they are in charge, proceed to mess up all the decisions, and the women are forced to pick up the pieces like the mothers of petulent little boys. Driven by silly and totally unwarranted jealousy of Ambrose's non-existent lecherous intentions towards his wife (Dinah Sheridan pretty and fatalistic as the long suffering Wendy) John Gregson's Alan McKim tries to assert his manhood by challenging Ambrose to a race between their creaking antique cars back from Brighton to Westminster Bridge. What ensues is a picaresque journey lurching from one bizarre and ridiculous incident to another as the two men shamelessly cheat and sabotage each other while their women become steadily more ill tempered at the antics of these two idiots until eventually asserting their right as competent adults to police the antics of overgrown children.

The film has a really pleasing musical score, composed and played by Larry Adler, and a lot of back-shots which show a precious historical record of what the south of England used to look like before town and country planners (who should be burned at the stake) got their hands on it. It asserts a pleasant love of the society it satirises and is a sweet and good natured entertainment. I like it a lot.

[nevermind]

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/north-by-northwest-50th-anniversary.jpg


.

[Jeff Vader]

These would be my top three, the order changes from time to time.

1. The Third Man.

2. The Big Sleep. Script, acting, direction and Lauren Bacall.

3. A night at the Opera. 75 years old and still makes me laugh out loud despite the fact I know what's coming.

These are in a rough order, apart from Cinema Paradiso which is definitely no. 4.
4. Cinema Paradiso - Directors cut. Very different film. Affectionate, bittersweet look at growing up in a small Italian village and returning to it.

5. Once Upon A Time In The West. Bronson as the lead ? Fonda as the villain ? And it worked.

6. Alien - Works as a horror and a sci-fi movie and most importantly - you only get glimpses of the beast leaving your imagination to fill in the gaps with your own fears.

7. North by Northwest. I still have to watch the ending through my fingers as I've vertigo (or should that be Vertigo ?).

8. Fellowship of the Ring - I bunked off work to go watch this, I was prepared to be horrified as it seemed to be practically unfilmable and I'm a Tolkien fan, have been since discovering 'The Hobbit' about 30 years ago. I was really, really impressed, the only real niggle was Arwen. WTF ?

9. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Normally when Nicholson chews the scenery everything else fades away, but Nurse Ratchet, the hapless Billy, Martini, Max Taber all had their moments. Compare that to Batman where it was essentially Nicholson and, well, nothing.

10. The Life of Brian. I loved the Marx Brothers from an early age even though some of the jokes passed over my head when I was young. I thought that nothing and no-one would approach that level of hilarity, well these boys came close.

Honourable Entries:
A day at the races, All Quiet On The western Front, Aliens, Bicycle Thieves, Casablanca, Das Boot, Der Untergang, Dr Strangelove, Fargo, Fight Club, French Connection, The Killing, Ladykillers, Lavender Hill Mob, The Lost Weekend, The Maltese Falcon, Remains of the Day, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Seven Samurai, Shawshank Redemption, The Sting, Trois Coleur Blanc,

[rc_riddle]

Some good some bad!

I think the real Ol' Blue Eyes, Paul Newman should have steered clear of 'Road To Perdition.' He'd already done Turkey in 'The Colour Of Money.'
But Crowe came up trumps in 'American Gangster.' Apart, of course, from his excruciating 'keep fit' scene, where he demonstrates that his only knowledge of fitness is lifting a bag of chips.

[nevermind]

Unbreakable....!!!!

http://img151.imagevenue.com/loc175/th_63158_Wizard_of_Oz_Screencaps_the_wizard_of_oz_ 1736806_720_536_123_175lo.jpg (http://img151.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=63158_Wizard_of_Oz_Screencaps_the_wi zard_of_oz_1736806_720_536_123_175lo.jpg)

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is America's greatest and best-loved home grown fairytale.
The television showings of the film have taken its fame to a level far above
what it had been in the pre-TV and early TV era.
It has become almost literally a national institution, a cultural icon recognized by millions.

http://img160.imagevenue.com/loc828/th_63152_wizard_123_828lo.jpg (http://img160.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=63152_wizard_123_828lo.jpg) http://img246.imagevenue.com/loc234/th_63154_the_wizard_of_oz_1939_123_234lo.jpg (http://img246.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=63154_the_wizard_of_oz_1939_123_234l o.jpg)
http://img228.imagevenue.com/loc173/th_63160_woz_123_173lo.jpg (http://img228.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=63160_woz_123_173lo.jpg) http://img254.imagevenue.com/loc575/th_63164_WizardOfOzTechnicolor_123_575lo.jpg (http://img254.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=63164_WizardOfOzTechnicolor_123_575l o.jpg)





.

[Refhand]

The two films that I come back to most often are Dogma and A Matter Of Life And Death. Some like It Hot being a pretty close third, I guess.

Tata

[Jeff Vader]

The two films that I come back to most often are Dogma and A Matter Of Life And Death. Some like It Hot being a pretty close third, I guess.

Tata

Dogma above Some like it Hot ?

Well, nobodys perfect !

;) couldn't resist

[DTravel]

The original Bond spoof, you don't even have to be stoned to enjoy it. :D Full of sight gags, double entendres and riffs on the then emerging Bond Super-Spy mystique. I found it fun and funny, with lots of silliness to go around and most of the cast appeared to be enjoying the work.

Many feel the plot is too incoherent but remember that this is a product of the "psychedelic 60s" which produced more than its share of mind-bending plots. Plus it is a spoof of the Bond films, with their world-spanning conspiracies run by evil genius multi-billionaires and plots that bounce all over the world based on the most thread-bare of excuses. To spoof that you really do have to go over the top and this film definitely does. Turn your brain off, giggle at the goofiness and enjoy the ride. Its well worth it.

There is apparently an epic story behind the scenes of this film. Peter Sellers and Orson Welles had a huge feud and literally wouldn't even be in the same room with each other, so their baccarat scene had to be shot in pieces on separate days. Many of the cast thought when they signed on that it was going to be a serious spy film, not a comedy and apparently Peter Sellers tried to play it "straight" even after he found out. The end of the movie suffered, plot wise, because Sellers walked out or was fired (depending on who you ask) before he'd finished shooting all his scenes. This is apparently why we never see him captured and why his character got killed off by Ursula Andress immediately after she rescues him. The producers added that shot in afterward to explain why he wasn't in the finale. The film had six (yes, _six_) directors, each shooting different parts of the film with one of them (Val Guest) stitching them all together, which helps explain some complaints about coherence in the story.

[scoundrel]

http://img268.imagevenue.com/loc379/th_67500_TheBadandTheBeautifulposter_122_379lo.jpg (http://img268.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67500_TheBadandTheBeautifulposter_12 2_379lo.jpg)http://img142.imagevenue.com/loc229/th_67501_TheBadandtheBeautiful_DouglasandTurner_12 2_229lo.jpg (http://img142.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67501_TheBadandtheBeautiful_Douglasa ndTurner_122_229lo.jpg)http://img267.imagevenue.com/loc226/th_67502_TheBadandtheBeautiful_PowelloppositeGlori aGrahame_122_226lo.jpg (http://img267.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67502_TheBadandtheBeautiful_Powellop positeGloriaGrahame_122_226lo.jpg)http://img144.imagevenue.com/loc46/th_67503_The_Bad_and_the_Beautiful_Barry_Sullivan_ 122_46lo.jpg (http://img144.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67503_The_Bad_and_the_Beautiful_Barr y_Sullivan_122_46lo.jpg)


With a title like that you’d expect this movie to be a second rate, shoddy melodrama, but actually it is first rate, really well made melodrama. The Bad and the Beautiful is a film by Hollywood about Hollywood, rather like Sunset Boulevard in addressing the social politics of that world and looking underneath the glitter to see the nastier side. The weakness of the film is that it is not as dark as it ought to be: in fact it is not a noir, when it really should be. This is why it ended up being a really good film featuring great acting performances, when it could have been a great film.

Enough carping. The structure is a portmanteau of three stories but all united by being part of Jonathan Shiel's life story. It is a life told in flashbacks.

The main players are:
Kirk Douglas: Jonathan Shiel, a washed up film producer.
Barry Sullivan: Fred Amiel, a gifted and successful director, who used to be Shiel’s friend.
Lana Turner: Georgia Lorrison, a beautiful actress and star at the peak of her career, who used to love him.
Dick Powell: James Lee Bartlow, a successful screen writer and novelist, but a widower whose wife died ignominiously in a plane crash whilst eloping adulterously with a glamorous Mexican matinee idol, a betrayal which was engineered by Jonathan Shiel.

This is also a film about film, about how films are made and about the casualties sometimes involved. It explores the world of film making from various angles. We see the early partnership of producer Shiel and director Amiel, both their synergy of complementary skills and the tension of divergent agendas which ultimately leads to Shiel’s ruthless betrayal of his best friend in Hollywood. In between, their working relationship is superbly analysed and the film presents a fascinating inside view of how challenging and difficult, but worthwhile film projects are first imagined by producer and director, then the producer enables the project to happen, and finally the director executes their shared vision. The ‘Cat People’ sequence is humorous but also serious: Shiel and Amiel take a really trashy idea that Pigeon’s Harry Pebbel has dumped on them and rework it into something genuinely good through their intimate understanding of how horror movies engage the audience. Whether they either know or care, their years of making low rent B movies for Pebbel have turned them into true auteurs, in love with film as an art form.

The script also addresses the great art of what happens in front of camera. In flashback, A list star-Georgia introduces us to Sid, her equally unsuccessful busted flush of an agent, who can barely get into a producer’s outer office and has fewer actors on his books than almost any agent in town, those few all as hopelessly failed as Georgia. In a beautiful throw away comment, the star Georgia states with wry ironic affection, “He’s still my agent today.” It raises a smile because it is witty and touching but it opens a window on what is wrong with Jonathan Shiel. Gus, ineffectual though he is, is like an uncle to Georgia: he really roots for her, shares her disappointments and comforts her in moments of misery and humiliation. When she achieves her dream and is a star, she is unbreakably loyal to the man who was once her only friend in the world. Jonathan’s worst character trait, almost sociopathic, is the way he takes people up at their lowest ebb, nurtures and rebuilds them, makes them love and trust him (he has seemingly saved them, why wouldn’t they love and trust him) and then brushes them off when he no longer needs them. Note that cruel line from Elaine Stewart’s Lila in the clip below:
“The picture’s finished Georgia. You’re business: I’m company.”

First he rescued Georgia from drunken and suicidal despair; then he taught her how to act. We actually see him doing this, coaching her how to deliver a line, how to communicate via facial expression and via body language, through the lens and to the audience. We see her growing in confidence and self-belief, her internal wounds healing and of course she falls head over heels in love with him: in many different ways he has given her her life. But then this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-kgzr0Edk) happens. It's a truly great scene, a credit to the three players and also to Vincente Minelli’s superb directing. Watch how the shadow of Elaine Stewart passes across Lana Turner as she is embracing Kirk Douglas, so we viewers share and empathise with the devastating shock of realising Kirk Douglas has betrayed her. Notice also the facial expressions of Kirk Douglas but especially of Lana Turner, the agony in her face as she knows she is alone and always was alone. Lana Turner was a wonderful actress.

The Dick Powell section reveals the exploitative relationship of writer and producer in Hollywood. This time Jonathan uses the befriending ploy in a different way. James Lee Bartlow is in love with his gorgeous and sexy but incredibly high-maintenance wife Rosemary but she is not nearly so much in love as he is. Also, she gets in the way of him writing. Her personality is “me, me, me” and she wants his full attention, never giving him the space to do the writing which is paying for all her new clothes and toys. Shiel sees the problem which Bartlow will not admit, and arranges a week in a fishing cabin, where Shiel fly fishes while Bartlow writes, then they drink in the evening and discuss/amend the script Bartlow has just written. But Shiel arranges for Victor Ribaldo to keep Mrs Bartlow amused and out of their hair, and this cynical and disgraceful tactic backfires in a tragic way. Poor Bartlow: he too thought Shiel was his friend.

In the end, Pigeon’s Harry Pebbel faces all three with tough questions about how far their hate is really warranted. Look at the dreadful things Jonathan did to them:

He took a bit part actor (Amiel) and gave him the means to direct films, and guided and forged the apprenticeship which turned him into a great director. Then he cast him loose and forced him to be his own man.
He took a basket case (Lorrison) and re-invented her whole life, making it possible for her to become a great star.
He took a man trapped in a one-direction love affair, caught in a rut and in a marriage which was never going to last the distance, and enabled him to fulfil his true destiny, becoming a great screen writer.

Maybe Jonathan Shiel is not quite the monster they have invented in their own minds? The film is open ended, it is clear that all is not forgotten nor ever will be, but in the end the three victims are seriously considering the idea of forgiving Jonathan Shiel. This is where I think The Bad and the Beautiful turns away from its true vocation, to be a classic noir. It works really well as a melodrama but is just a little bit too optimistic and forgiving, just not quite bleak enough. Also, it never rains in the film, not even once.

[otiscleotus]

I like to watch Bullitt often enough. The car chase and overall detective story are there but I'm fascinated by the period items seen in the street scenes and even some of the indoor sets. The clothes, cars, buildings, advertisments, hospital equipment, even the early fax machine. There's just so much there to catch that wasn't built and arranged by a ser designer. And try running around like that in an airport now and see how many steps you get before there's a boot pressing you into the floor and an automatic rifle jammed into the back of your head.

[euler]

Limiting it to 10:

Stalag 17
Dr. Strangelove
Rear Window
The Searchers
East of Eden
The 39 Steps
Nosferatu (the original one)
The Great Escape
The Usual Suspects
Being There

[mcewan]

East Of Eden,it was actually out of print for quite a while and I was absolutely thrilled when my local Costco had a James Dean DVD Box Set and it included Rebel Without Out A Cause and Giant.I remember watching East Of Eden on TV on several occasions as a young lad and I always found it so touching and for years I it was unavailable.

[atomicrooster]

I`m a big fan of this awesome movie

General Mireau: "If those little sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones!"


Corporal Paris: See that cockroach? Tomorrow morning, we'll be dead and it'll be alive. It'll have more contact with my wife and child than I will. I'll be nothing, and it'll be alive.
[Ferol smashes the roach]
Private Ferol: Now you got the edge on him.


http://thumbnails6.imagebam.com/8043/be52f480422741.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/be52f480422741/) http://thumbnails23.imagebam.com/8043/35488780422746.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/35488780422746/) http://thumbnails20.imagebam.com/8043/8c699280422748.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8c699280422748/) http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/8043/e809df80422750.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e809df80422750/)

[tmee2000]

I`m a big fan of this awesome movie

http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/8043/e809df80422750.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e809df80422750/)
Thanks rooster. Best movie ever made.

[nevermind]

http://ist1-4.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/m/q/J/x/mqJx/Captain%20Horatio%20Hornblower%20%281951%29_s.jpg (http://www.pimpandhost.com/image/5345983-original.html)

http://ist1-4.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/m/q/J/y/mqJy/hornblower_captain_f002g_peck_0.jpg (http://www.pimpandhost.com/image/5345984-medium.html) http://ist1-4.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/m/q/J/z/mqJz/hornblower_peck_0.jpg (http://www.pimpandhost.com/image/5345985-medium.html)

In 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, English Royal Navy Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck) commands the 36-gun frigate HMS Lydia on a lengthy secret mission to Central America. He is to provide arms and support to a megalomaniac calling himself "El Supremo" or "The Almighty" (Alec Mango) in his rebellion against Spain, an ally of Britain's enemy France. As Hornblower observes to First Lieutenant Bush (Robert Beatty), "War breeds strange allies."

Upon his arrival, Hornblower is told that a larger, much more powerful Spanish warship, the 60-gun Natividad, has been sighted. When it anchors nearby, Hornblower and his crew board and capture it in a surprise nighttime attack. He then reluctantly hands the ship over to El Supremo to appease the madman, and they go their separate ways.

Later, he encounters a small Spanish vessel and learns that Spain has switched sides, so the Lydia will have to attack the Natividad again. Two passengers transfer to the Lydia (over Hornblower's objections): Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo) and her maid, fleeing a yellow fever epidemic. As Lady Barbara is the (fictitious) sister of the Duke of Wellington, Hornblower is in no position to refuse her request for passage to England.

Using masterful tactics, Hornblower sinks the Natividad, and when the ship's surgeon is killed in the battle, Lady Barbara insists on helping by nursing the wounded. When she later falls gravely ill, Hornblower nurses her back to health. On the voyage back to England, they fall in love. However, when she makes advances (although she is engaged), Hornblower informs her he is married.

After arriving home, Hornblower learns that his wife has died in childbirth, leaving him an infant son. He is given command of the Sutherland, a powerful ship of the line captured from the French, and is assigned to a squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Leighton (Denis O'Dea), Lady Barbara's new husband. The squadron's mission is to help enforce the British blockade against Napoleonic France.

At a conference on Leighton's flagship, Hornblower learns that four French ships of the line have broken the blockade. Leighton assumes they will make for the Mediterranean, but Hornblower suggests that they mean to support Napoleon's campaign on the Iberian Peninsula.

Leighton decides to cover both possibilities by detaching one ship to patrol the French coast. When he learns that Hornblower's Sutherland is best suited for this task, having the shallowest draught, he becomes suspicious that Hornblower is after glory and prize money. Leighton therefore expressly forbids Hornblower from taking any independent action if he sights the French.

Hornblower's French-built ship is subsequently mistaken for a friendly vessel by a small French brig, which flies the enemy's recognition signal for the day. After capturing the vessel, Hornblower learns from interrogating its captain that he was transporting army supplies to the four warships for use in Spain. Rather than return to the squadron, Hornblower sends the brig back with a prize crew and the news of the ships' location.

He enters the enemy harbour where the French ships are anchored and guarded by a well-armed fort. By flying a French flag and the recognition signal and taking advantage of the appearance of his ship's French design, Hornblower fools the garrison into believing that the Sutherland is friendly. His gun crews dismast all four enemy ships before French cannon fire forces the British to abandon the badly-damaged Sutherland. Hornblower sinks his ship in the channel, bottling up the French ships.

As the rest of the British squadron arrives to complete the job, Hornblower and Bush, accompanied by seaman Quist (James Robertson Justice), are taken by carriage to Paris to be tried for piracy. However, they manage to escape en route and make their way to the port of Nantes. Disguised as Dutch officers, they board The Witch of Endor, a captured British ship. They overpower the skeleton crew, free a working party of British prisoners of war to man her, and sail away to freedom.

Hornblower is hailed as a national hero, and learns that Leighton was killed in the battle. Hornblower returns home to visit his young son, and finds Lady Barbara there. The two embrace


.

[COP11]

Dinner at Eight
Grand Hotel
Gilda
The Champ
That Touch of Mink
Bringing Up Baby
Strawberry Blonde
Little Caesar
Public Enemy with James Cagney

[OBE]

Classics?
How far back do we go or start.

The Wizard of OZ
Alien
Amadeus
12 Angry Men
The Great Race
In the Line of Fire
Reign of Fire
Blade Runner

[hound dog]

Lawrence of Arabia, with Peter O'Toole is my all time favorite film, the cinematography in this film is superb, it was also my first exposure to director David Lean.

Which brings us to Hobson's Choice, Charles Laughton and John Mills. Charles Laughton is hillarious and Mills as Will Mossop is perfect casting. I found this film in a tiny video tape rental store in the early 1980's, picked it up and was just putting it back when I saw who directed it, David Lean.

The Quiet Man, John Ford directed, John Wayne, Maureen O'hara, Victor McLaglen. A very funny and visually stunning film, not just Maureen O'Hara, but the Irish country side as well.

Captains Courageous, Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew and Lionel Barrymore, directed by Victor Flemming. Tracy's first academy award for Best actor.

Harvey, James Stewart, Josephine Hull, directed by Henry Koster. Stewart is completely disarming as Elwood P. Dowd, and Hull won a best supporting acctress award as his sister, Veta.

Others already mentioned that are high on my list: The Searchers, The Ford-Wayne calvary trilogy, The Hill, The African Queen...some great films in this thread, thanks to all who have posted.

[hound dog]

I don't know how I forgot this one, To Kill a Mockingbird, Gregory Peck and Mary Badham as "Scout", directed by Robert Mulligan. Won 3 Oscars, including Best Actor for Peck.

I read the Harper Lee book after I saw this film, and "heard" the naration of the movie while reading the book, made for a vivid reading experience.